FAQs
 

Dear Dr. M: Why does everyone mumble? They used to speak so clearly. Annoyed in Audubon

Dear Annoyed: It is possible you have a hearing loss. If it has occurred gradually over many years, as most people's losses happen, then the brain adapts and makes you believe that this is your "new normal." People speaking to you will sound softer and less clear over time without any or too much awareness that a change has happened. Asking them to speak up rarely works for long because they forget to sustain the louder speech and revert to their habitual speaking volume. If you get an audiologic assessment you can find out if you have hearing loss and if you are a candidate for hearing aids.

Dear Dr. M: I hear men's voices just fine. It's my wife voice that is hard to understand. Is she doing this on purpose? It causes a lot of arguments when I misinterpret what she said! Frustrated in Florence

Dear Frustrated: In all likelihood, your wife's, other women's, and children's voices are difficult to understand because you have a high-frequency hearing loss. This is among the most common configurations of inner ear loss and can be caused by previous exposure to noise, various types of medications, vascular conditions, and other health issues. Digital hearing aids can be programmed to amplify just the high-pitched sounds where the loss is greatest and "ignore" the low frequencies where your hearing is still good.

Dear Dr. M: My doctor just told me I need strong chemotherapy medicine for my cancer treatments. Possible side effects are hearing loss, ringing in the ears, and balance problems. I thought I only had to be concerned about the cancer. Now I have to be worried about what the medications will do to me? Concerned in Cherry Hill

Dear Concerned: You are right to ask questions of your physician about such a critical health issue. It is good to know the possible side effects; you may or may not experience all or any of them. Your doctor will ask you to get a pre-treatment baseline audiologic assessment, and if appropriate, a balance test. It makes sense to get another hearing test after every treatment or at intervals determined by your doctor. If you notice any change in balance, hearing, or the onset of ringing, also called tinnitus, please tell your doctor immediately and schedule another hearing test and/or balance test with me. This information will quickly be sent to your doctor to determine if changes in your regimen are appropriate.

Dear Dr. M: I attend a lot of meetings. I feel like I am so lost. I used to follow every single sentence, never had any issue with hearing. I got sick, had a high fever, and now have different amounts of hearing loss in both ears. I have put off checking out hearing aids because I'm concerned about what people will think. What should I do? My boss knows about my hearing and is supportive (she lets me read the minutes of each session) but I can't participate in the meetings anymore. I'm afraid I will lose my job. Scared in Sicklerville

Dear Scared: The first step is getting your hearing assessed to determine the type and amount of loss. Deciding with me what hearing aids will help the most is the next step. You will want to consider different styles, addressing cosmetics but also intelligibility, plus different assistive devices if desired to help you hear in background noise, in multi-talker situations, and at a distance. Your boss is doing the right thing by giving you the minutes to read after the meeting. I can suggest more ideas to assist your comprehension at meetings including reviewing an outline of topics prior to the event so you can research and understand what will be happening; priority seating at the meeting; and visual aids such as PowerPoint presentations to enhance the spoken message. If you feel comfortable, tell the other participants about your hearing loss and what they can do to help you understand.

Dear Dr. M: Why does my wife just clam up when our family visits? She used to be so happy to see them. She would talk non-stop! Now she either sits at the table saying nothing or gets up and starts washing dishes, instead of talking with everyone sitting there. She refuses to talk to me about it. Tabled in Tabernacle

Dear Tabled: She may have a hearing loss which makes it hard for her to understand the conversation. People with impaired hearing tend to have a great deal of difficulty understanding speech in background noise or when there are multiple speakers at once. Some hearing-impaired listeners will monopolize the conversation so they don't have to feel badly about not hearing others, putting the responsibility of communication on the other conversation partners; some will repeatedly ask for repetitions, slowing the progression of the conversation; some will simply give up and walk away, pretending they didn't want to hear what is being said. I suggest that you make an appointment for a complete hearing test to determine if she has a hearing loss. If she does, we will discuss her communication options. If there is no loss, her physician will be contacted to initiate appropriate referrals to find answers.

Dear Dr. M: My teen daughter listens to her iPOD very loudly. She tells me I'm nagging her if I ask her to turn down the volume. Last week she confided in me that she has begun to hear ringing in her right ear. Could this be from the music? She wants to be a professional musician and she needs to hear well. Now what? Music Mom in Medford

Dear Music Mom: You are right to caution her. Bring her in for a hearing assessment. Often ringing in the ears is a sign of early noise damage to the delicate structures of the ear. With proper testing and guidance it may be possible to avoid further problems. There are two rules of thumb I gently tell my teen patients: (1) If the person sitting next to you can hear the music from your iPOD then the music is too loud and needs to be turned down to help prevent hearing loss; (2) Use the 1 - 1 rule: if you listen to your music player for one hour, give your ears one hour of rest, then you may listen again for an hour, etc. Your daughter should also wear ear protection when practicing her music and during concerts. There are custom musician hearing protection devices that are recessed in the ear and can be made in any color.